The Era of the Uchiha
by littleshimmerofhope
Summary: In an era of war Uchiha Sasuke leads a convenient life within a great mansion far away from the ongoing conflict. One day he's assigned a personal bodyguard - a blonde boy whose mysterious powers greatly intrigues the raven. What he doesn't know is that their meeting is far from coincidental. Who is the blonde? And for how long will they stay protected from the darkness of the war?
1. Meeting

**Hi everyone!** This time I'm uploading a rather _unusual_ story in the sense that the style doesn't follow a "traditional" way of writing. Therefore, some of you might find it _a little strange_ _in the beginning_ , but I promise you'll adapt to it quickly, so please bear with me. I've written the entire story with the text aligned in the centre as I believe it helps portray the feeling I want to get across. If this bothers you, I apologize.

If you find yourself confused by anything, just keep reading as a lot of things are explained later on in the story.

 **This is an AU fanfiction.**  
 **Pairings: None.** But it's open to own interpretations.  
 **Rating is M** because of themes of death and war later on in the fic.

This will be a three part story. Enjoy!

* * *

"Uchiha-sama. This boy is Uzumaki Naruto."

 _This name… I've heard it before_.

"He is the single living inheritor of the Namikaze and Uzumaki bloodline, and possess an unique set of abilities that will aid to ensure your safety in and outside the premises."

 _Blonde hair… Blue eyes…_

… _Blue?_

"From now on, he will be joining you in your daily life, and be assigned to you personally as your guard."

Tall and proud, the boy stood before the Uchiha. Blue eyes met onyx, glistening with life. Lips curled into a polite, but genuine, smile.

"Nice to meet you, sir."

 _Uzumaki… Naruto…?_

* * *

"… Why did Madara choose you?"

His sudden question was met with a familiar smile.

"…Hm?"

Dark eyes narrowed slightly. He did not care much for repeating himself, but his curiosity of the blonde in front of him won over his pride.

"Why did Madara choose you?"

It was a question that had been nagging inside his mind ever since the blonde boy had moved in. To Sasuke, he seemed… _light_ , was probably the only word he could use to discribe him. He was always smiling, and laughing – _and talking, always talking to anyone and everyone_ – as he went about his days inside the huge mansion. He wore his heart on his sleeve; his face as easily read as any book in their well-adorned library.

And even though he was all that, Sasuke could sense the subdued, but none the less powerfull aura that seemed to radiate off the man's whole being as he slipped past him in the many halls; A dull, pulsating prescence of a strenght hidden deep within, carefully concealed beneath an easy smile.

Sasuke could tell that the boy was, as stated, of Namikaze and Uzumaki blood.

"… Who knows?"

The indirect answer was unexpected and tickled the Uchiha wrong. It was the first, and only time he saw such a secretive, taunting smile spread over the boy's features.

* * *

Thunder lit up the omnious, dark clouds that ravaged the sky outside the huge, framed, glass windows. The heavy rain thundered on the roof, and the strong winds had the mansion creak and groan in excrusiation of withstanding the force of nature.

War had never brought along sunshine and blue skies.

The door behind him creaked open, and the sound of two steady feet making their way into his room was somewhat comforting in the dark night.

Lightning struck once again.

The rain pattered against the glass.

"You don't need to accompany me at all times, you know."

White teeth glistened at him in the reflection of the window.

"I know. But it is my resposibility to keep you safe."

He scoffed at this.

"Like I need protection."

"…No."

The blonde agreed after a while, knowing that the raven was strong – more so than many – and could easily protect himself from most without breaking much of a sweat.

"But you're not what I'm protecting."

He knew this. They both knew this. His eyes stared into the darkness of the storm outside, looking past their own dimmed reflection.

How a pair of eyes could come to stir such fright within the heart of those who sought power – enough to declare wars and hire assasins – was beyond the young raven.

Subconsciously he brought his slender hand up to cover the right side of his face.

They were just eyes.

As another bolt of lighting struck, the sky thundered and the flash of light caused his reflection to appear crisper, the hint of red surrounding his pupil not going unnoticed.

* * *

"Why do you never go outside?"

Blue eyes looked away from the book of which's pages they had been lazily skimming over and drifted until they found and focused onto him.

Their conversations were few – _unusual, really_ – because it was not often that the raven decided to ignore his fondness of the silence enveloping the many rooms and halls of the mansion. When they did talk their conversations were brief, fleeting, and the subjects they revolved around, petty.

Just when he was about to lose himself in the deep blue ocean, the eyes shifted back to the book held between the two tan hands.

"I do. You just never notice."

The raven tried to remember a time when the blonde had been absent from his side and frowned when he failed to find any trace of such a memory.

As he turned around to leave the room, he could've sworn he spotted a smile curl the blonde's lips.

* * *

Madara was not present very often.

If Sasuke tried to recall the occations when the ancient Uchiha had set foot inside the mansion, he could count them on one hand. Madara was never around.

Yet, somehow, over the years, Naruto impeccably kept up to date with the progressions of the war. It intruiged the raven how the blonde, who never left the mansion – which he had confirmed through keeping thurough watch over him after their last touch upon the subject – appeared as if he knew every little detail of the distant ongoing conflict.

The blonde had been handpicked and personally assigned to Sasuke by Uchiha Madara himself. The young Uchiha had yet to discover, however, what exactly it was within the blonde that had earned him this duty of such a high importance.

Some days, he noticed how the blonde would slip into endless hours of exhaustridding sleep, his hair toussling and soft snores escaping his partly open lips, as he lay sprawled over one of the couches in the lounge.

Other days, the blonde seemed to concentrate deeply on something that completely escaped the raven as he sat unmoving in the small, inner garden. His brows would be furrowed, his jaw stiff, and he would focus so strongly on nothing at all that Sasuke would experience a small, creeping sense of unease in the back of his mind.

On most days, the blonde would be in a good mood, casually strolling around near – _but still keeping his distance from_ – the young Uchiha, sometimes humming an unknown tune from an unknown land, or on rare occations, initiate an ( _almost_ ) one-sided conversation with the silent raven.

Two mere times had the Uchiha witnessed the ugly side of Uzumaki Naruto. Two times had he seen the blonde angry, both times for reasons of which were unbeknownst to him. The dark emotion completely changed the boy and twisted him into something terrifying – almost threatening. His blue eyes suddenly appearing unnaturaly dark, and blazing hot with hatred, his blonde hair standing on edge, and his face, which usually lit up with a smile, scrunching together into a menacing scowl had the raven on his toes around the blonde for days afterwards.

The more months they spent in each other's presence, the more did it frustrate him that he seemed to find no pattern, or reason, for the blonde's different mood swings.

He kept asking himself what it was that Madara saw, that he was missing.

* * *

"…You're up early."

When the blonde's serious expression remained stiff and unchanged where he stood in the middle of the Uchiha's room, the raven frowned lightly, and fought to keep his eyes open despite his eyelids drooping heavy from sleep.

Supporting himself on his elbows, he rose from his position of lying on his stomach and peered catiously at the boy whom he had become so familiar with over the years.

"Why?"

When the question slipped past his lips, his gut had already twisted, because, somehow, he could tell that the answer wouldn't be good.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke had cursed his excistance many times.

Born of high blood, he carried a unique legacy on his shoulders. The Uchiha were wealthy in land and renowned in name because they carried an abillity unlike any other, and which could only be passed down through their genes, making it impossible to learn or recreate by outsiders. A completely unique abillity: the red eyes that could see all. This was what the Uchiha carried.

Their all-seeing eyes held the power to manipulate people, which had granted the Uchiha power. With this power, they had made a name for themselves. Once they were strong and notorious, the Uchiha took hold of many prosperous lands, ensuring their wealth and seat at the top of the hierarchy, where they settled down into new, comfortable lifestyles.

This, however, didn't last for long. Through their demonstration of power, a small seed of fear had started to grow within the hearts of the people.

Soon, war broke out across the country as many tried to gain hold of and control the power that was the red eyes, and when this failed, the movement to completely annahilate the oppressing Uchiha began.

Thousands upon thousands of deaths, years upon years of nothing but slaughter of men, litres upon litres of spilt blood, over and over again, one battle after the other.

The young raven hated it.

He failed to understand why so many wished to obtain the red eyes of the Uchiha that had only brought despair, death and hatred to the world.

The red swirling and twisting inside his eyes to cover his iris reminded him of the cursed blood that he carried.

* * *

A group of skilled warriors had made it through the Uchihas lines and crossed the border. In the first village they came across, they murdered everyone: including all of the women, and 19 children.

 _19 children with red eyes._

"Don't scowl so much. You're much too young for wrinkles."

During the last months, the young Uchiha could now count the times Madara had visited him on two hands.

He was the youngest son of one of the purest families among the Uchiha, and thus, the curse of the red eyes rode stronger in him than in many others.

The Uchiha countered the assasination with full force, their newly lit hatred twisting their ways and means into cruler and more merciless tactics than before, continuing to spread death, and the unavoidable hatred born from it, across the land.

Madara never said anything to the young Uchiha, but he was sharp. He understood the reason for which the ancient man kept close watch over him nowadays, the explenation simple, yet troubling.

They were threatened. The situation was worsening.

He knew.

* * *

Whenever Madara visited, unlike the young raven, the blonde boy already seemed aware of the information of which he came to relay. Without talking, or making any sort of contact at all, Madara and the blonde boy danced around each other, and yet, at the same time, they were completely in sync.

One time, the raven made an attempt to understand.

"The battle at the river bank – how many casualties were there on our side?"

A tilt of the head had the blonde strands of hair shifting across the tan forehead.

"Only 12."

"How would you know?"

The blonde hadn't talked to Madara, nor had he been around when the older Uchiha had come bearing the news.

Blue eyes twinkled mischieviously, and lips slowly curled into a sly smile, refusing the raven an answer.

* * *

"…Where is he?"

Madara refused to meet his eyes.

Black spun into a blazing red.

" _WHERE IS HE?!_ "

The blonde man watched the two ravens in silence, concealed by the shadow of the hall.

* * *

The sensation of two eyes drilling into his back abruptly awoke the raven, his eyes already wearing the colour of blood as he swiftly spun around in his bed, prepeared for battle.

His blazing red irises met calming blue in the darkness.

The raven noticed something about the blonde was different immidiately; his red eyes swirling as he quickly let his gaze rake over the body of the man standing in the door to his room.

He looked the same.

 _He wasn't._

It was barely noticable, but when he spoke, his voice was slightly lower, a little rougher, but the words he spoke were spoken ever so softly, the sound of the blondes voice folding like velvet in the Uchihas ears. The red within the raven's eyes slowly disipated, and the orbs returned to their usual dark tone.

"He is allright."

Never had the young Uchiha felt such relief surge through him from a single sentence.

* * *

"Madara is coming soon, isn't he?"

Onyx challenged blue. Naruto blinked slowly, a slight change – _appearent only to the Uchiha because he knew the blonde's face so well by now_ – in his gaze once he opened them again. A small smile started to form.

"Yes."

"…Where was he?"

"Safe."

The answer he received was short and dissmissive, but the raven still felt a sense of reassurrance. Perhaps he believed him only because his red eyes had gazed upon the blonde that night and seen that he spoke truthfully.

He didn't know how the blonde knew, how he'd found out that his older brother was okay, but he was starting to figure him out. Slowly, but surely, he started to get to know Uzumaki Naruto.

* * *

"Sleep with me."

It was rare to draw such a sudden change in expression from the blonde, his blue eyes widening, his hands stopping mid-movement, and his shoulders squaring. The blonde looked like he'd been frozen to the spot by the young Uchiha's request, and the raven savored the moment.

He soon came to be surprised himself when the blonde agreed to his strange proposal. He only blinked once, and though it stayed silent between them, the blue eyes had met the ravens in an intense stare, conveying an agreement without words.

That night Uchiha Sasuke, for the first time, shared his bed.

* * *

As busy people, his parents hadn't been around much during his upbringing, leaving him to fend for himself with only the maids, cooks, and guards for company. Silence was something he got used to, even begun to enjoy, as he spent many endless days walking through the empty halls and exploring the countless rooms of the mansion. In the silence, he was left alone with his thoughts, finding comfort and solace in the calm mindset the isolation brought him.

"It's only us…"

He wasn't sure if it was a statement or a question, and judging by the look he received from the blonde, neither did he.

"Yeah. Just us."

Lately, the silence resting throughout the mansion had become suffocating.

* * *

He hadn't noticed at first, ( _mostly because the young raven rarely set foot inside the kitchen, since he himself never cooked_ ) but when he stumbled upon the blonde putting away the sharp kitchen knifes into their drawers one early morning, he could tell something was wrong.

The smile the blonde had offered in answer to his questioning gaze didn't quite reach his eyes that day.

It was a quick work; Madara made sure his staff was swiftly removed and disposed off without hesitation, leaving only the blonde to accompany the young Uchiha within the enormous mansion. The ache of betrayal from the staff that had surrounded him since birth throbbed dully in the raven's heart.

"Do not worry. He's more than enough." Madara had assured.

* * *

Even though the war raged on, the young Uchiha spent many days only discribable as peaceful inside the mansion with the blonde, where they lead lazy, comfortable lives unsullied by the darkness of war that slowly corrupted most of the land.

Even on the rare days on which the young Uchiha allowed himself to be languorous and sleep in, he was always the first of the two to get out of bed, the blonde joining him first when he headed out of the room.

It puzzled the raven how each meal throughout the day presented itself without Naruto ever leaving his side to head to the kitchen, or how he cold slip into the newly pressed sheets of his made bed every evening, and how not a single one of the many rooms in the mansion gathered any dust over the many months, wheter they were visited often or not.

His mind leisurely wrapped around the puzzlebits, trying to piece them together as he observed the blonde day in and day out, intent on figuring him out.

* * *

Naruto was uneasy.

He could tell.

Observing the blonde moving about, jaw stiff and a furrow between his brows, a crippling feeling of anxiety slowly crept up the young Uchihas spine, causing the small hairs at the back of his neck to stand on edge. The atmosphere in the mansion took a turn for the worse, and with every day that passed, the silence grew thicker and heavier.

No words were spoken, yet the raven could understand by the grim expression that the blonde wore, that something wasn't quite right.

* * *

A sudden explosion of terribly frightening noises awoke him one evening, startling the young Uchiha into a sitting position on his bed, eyes wide and alert. The sounds cut into his ears and clawed at his insides, shaking and tearing at him from within. The mansion rumbled and groaned, almost vibrating around him, as the rythmatic ' _thump-thump_ ' of his racing heart grew louder in his ears. The horrific noises twisted their way past his eardrums and into his head where they echoed eerily.

' _Thump-thump-thump-thump-'_

Screams. They were screams.

' _Thump-thump-thump-'_

Terrifying shrieks and horrible roars filled the air around him, their noise shooting through him and electrifying every nerve within his body.

People were screaming, and by the sound of it, there were many.

When his door burst open with an earsplitting bang, his head whipped around and his wide, crimson eyes found the blazing gaze of the blonde.

"Get up."

He was on his shaky legs within a heartbeat. A tan hand shot out, wrapping around his wrist in a painful grasp, and the young raven found himself unable to do anything, other than attempting not to stumble on his partly paralyzed legs as he was dragged out of the room.

 _'Thump-thump-thump-'_

Within the hallway the resounding roars were greater in both volume and number. People's feet rumbled like thunder through the mansion, shaking the floor beneath their feet. The sound of blades meeting in quick succession rang through the air, cutting sharply into the Uchiha's ears as he struggled to keep up with the blonde.

 _\- And the screaming._

Orders were barked with determination, roars of anger shaking the walls. Frightening cries of utter agony had the hair on Sasuke's body standing on edge as a cold feeling of dread settled in his gut and created a lump in his troath, his mouth becoming dry.

 _'Thump-thump-thump-'_

He felt lost; his thoughts tumbled around inside his head, trying to assemble the visions his eyes picked up and the noises his ears were absorbing, but failing. Everything around him was a neausuating jumble of chaos.

It felt as if he had woken up within a nightmare.

 _'Thump-!'_

The man appeared suddenly.

"Go!"

In the blink of a moment, many things happened simultainiously.

Naruto shoved the raven, forcing him to stumble backwards. Startled, red eyes briefly met with a pair of unfamiliar brown, which, in turn, widened in recognition, the man's mouth flying open in a roar as he swung his spear towards the two of them. Eyes hardening, the blonde moved swiftly, stepping between the man and the raven, hands quickly shooting out and snapping the head off the spear, stoping the attack, a single word slipping past his lips in a commanding roar.

' _Thump-'_

The trembling raven was on his feet before he could properly register what had happened, his body instinctively jumping into action. He got up, turned around, and ran.

Naruto appeared at his side only seconds later, his hand finding the raven's wrist once more as he guided the young Uchiha down a different corridor. Looking back, the raven saw the stranger kneeling in front of a blonde figure and only caught a quick glimpse of a crimson liquid before they disappeared completely behind the corner.

 _'Thump-thump-thump-thump-'_

His muscles were burning, his eyes were stinging, and his lungs were screaming for him to stop, but they didn't. Even as the screams became more distant behind them, they didn't slow down, they didn't stop; they kept on running.

An earthshaking explosion had them both hesitating and glancing back at the old mansion, now enveloped in dancing flames that reached high into the night, crackling loudly and casting an ominous, orange glow over the surrounding scenery. The north wing stood aflame, a gaping hole in the side of the wall, the supportive pillars and the second-story floor groaning deeply as they folded inwards and collapsed, pulling the wing with them to the ground.

The realisation that he'd been right there only minutes ago completely paralyzed the Uchiha on the spot where he stood and watched his home burn.

The flickering light of the dancing flames reflected in the eyes of the blonde beside him, burning the image into Sasuke's memory for eternity.

' _ **Thump-!** '_

That night, the usually blue eyes had been red.

* * *

 **Tbc...**

 **A/N:** _Do you know what Naruto's power is?_

If there's anything you are curious about or don't understand with the story, don't hesitate to post a review voicing your questions or thoughts, and I'll gladly send a reply as soon as I'm able :) _Of course, even if you don't wonder over anything, a review is welcome nonetheless ;)_


	2. Discovery

**Hi guys! Here comes chapter two!** As you know, this will be a three part story, and actually, the third part is already written as I publish this, but I want to wait a few days before I upload the finale. I changed the summary - _what do you think? Is this one better?_

Anyway, this chapter will start out with confirming what Naruto's power is! _Fairy law, you called it ;)_

Enjoy!

* * *

"I know what your power is."

The blue eyes found only certainty when they searched his face.

The realisation had come to the raven on their travel across the land, hitting him suddenly. As soon as the idea had settled within his mind it was obvious that he'd found the answer to his long considered question, as it explained everything he'd previously found to be unexplainable about the blonde.

Why Madara had choosen him. How he had been able to keep track of the wars development despite never leaving the mansion. Why he, sometimes, had needed to rest for long, unbeliavable periods of time. The way his mood at times had changed drasticly from one hour to another without any apparent explenation. How, even as the staff had been removed and the blonde had never left the raven's side, food seemingly had appeared out of nowhere and the mansion had been kept clean and tidy throughout the months.

 _How he could know where Sasuke's brother was and lead them there._

"You can be in more than one place at the same time."

At first, the blonde blinked, seemingly surprised by his bold, and rather odd, statement. Then, his entire face lit up, his blue eyes sparkling and his wide smile showing off his perfectly white teeth as he absolutely beamed at the raven.

"You figured it out."

He radiated complete glee, only a mild hint of surprise evident in his voice as he regarded Sasuke with an impressed look, the raven's heart skipping a beat at the confirmation.

The puzzlebits finally came together and formed a complete picture of the man that had walked into the Uchiha's life all those years ago.

Finally, he had figured him out. Finally, he knew Uzumaki Naruto, the man with the Namikaze and Uzumaki bloodline.

The man who could be in more than one place at the same time.

* * *

Famine.

Disease.

Death.

 _War._

Onyx eyes scanned the lands they journeyed through, storing the grim sights they came across into his memory.

Villages and towns lay in ruins. Fallen houses stood alongside the narrow roads, furniture and lives crushed and buried underneath the heavy rubble. Burnt fields painted the landscapes they passed in a hideous coal-grey colour, collapsed bridges sometimes hindering and postponing their advancing, forcing them to make a detour through another land. Often they had to step over dead livestock and bodies that lay discarded and rotting on the muddy grounds, covering their noses in a hopeless attempt to block out the heavy smell of death.

There were near to no green fields or blue skies across the dying continent.

The land itself was indeed a gruesome sight, but what shook the Uchiha the most was the state of the people.

Famine, disease, and death could be found everywhere. People were pale, wailing in mourning, suffering mentally and physically, bleeding from huge wounds or from internal damages; _dying_. Terribly worn mothers made no attempt to care for or soothe their screaming babies. Young sons dragged the bodies of their fathers to huge mass graves; faces stern and jaws tense as they were forced to grow from boys into men too early in their lives.

The sights had the raven's stomach turning. Never in his life had he seen such frightful conditions before.

He noted early on how the horrible condition of the land didn't seem to face his travelling companion. The blonde remained eerily unaffected by the dread that surrounded them as they journeyed onward.

The young Uchiha quickly concluded that such sights probably had been part of his everyday life for as many years as the war had been ongoing.

This knowledge had his feeling of nausea intensifying.

* * *

Thinking back on the safe life he had lead inside the mansion, protected and distant from the real world, felt similar to looking through a thick pane of glass to the young Uchiha. He felt de-attached. Everything about those years seemed distant and far away – _almost delusive_.

Although his entire life had been chewed down and spat out completely disarranged,Sasuke had not once on the long journey found himself feeling lost. He recognized Naruto to be the reason for his false sense of security – _they had, after all, been together for close to seven years now_ – even as they were careful to wear hooded capes to avoid anyone recognizing the raven as an Uchiha and attempt to have him beheaded.

With the familiar presence still remaining at Sasuke's side nothing seemingly had changed.

And yet, everything had.

* * *

The comapany's steps echoed between the thick stonewalls of the narrow underground corridor as they made their way deeper into the hideout.

The raven-haired man had goosebumps up his arms and down his exposed neck – but not from the chill subterranean air, as one would think, but rather from the high dose of anticipation pulsing through his blood that had his heart thudding firmly against his ribcage, his eyes piercing through the darkness, wide and alert.

Once lead through a small underground maze, the three men guiding them came to a stop outside a tightly shut door.

The Uchiha found it irking that Naruto didn't seem to share his nerves. Instead, the blonde to his right had an easy air around him, his blue eyes twinkling with familiarity in the dim torchlight.

Of course – He'd been there before.

The door's protesting groans when it was forced open fell on deaf ears as onyx eyes fell upon the man on the other side.

Sasuke's heart stuck in his throat when the familiar, silky voice reached his ears.

"Long time no see, little brother."

* * *

Onyx eyes drifted over the large gathering of people he found himself standing to the side of as they moved about, busy readying carriages and strapping swords and gears to their persons in preparation for the long road to come. Men shared the burden of heavy loads, women tending to the few sick and elderly while overlooking the children.

In the peripheral of his vision, he saw the blonde approach him. Once he was close enough, the raven inclined his head for the blonde to join him, which he did.

Side-by-side they looked out over the group of hard-working people, observing as they moved about.

They were surviving. Together they believed they would overcome.

"Did you know about them?"

When the blonde nodded his head in affirmation it didn't surprise the Uchiha.

His question hadn't been specifically referring to the medium-sized company they found themselves among. No, he'd been referring to the entire movement.

Here, they had one name, but in his memories the raven heard Madara address them with another, and as he continued to absent-mindedly observe the group, that was the name he kept repeating within his mind.

Madara had called them _The Traitors._

* * *

The older Uchiha's obsidian eyes studied him, awaiting his answer as the two brothers stood facing each other in the poorly lit room, a thick silence resting between them. Itachi's words rung inside the younger of the two's head, the stories that they told of embedded with truth. He knew.

He recalled when he had received word of his brother's defeat years prior, and how vulnerable and terrified it had made him feel at the time when Madara had updated him on the situation.

He'd said that Itachi had been overpowered. He'd said that the traitors had taken Itachi hostage, everything that implied hanging loosely in the air, supplying the younger brother with terrifying images of his brother with holes as eyes. He'd said he hadn't known where Itachi was.

As it turned out, everything Madara had told him was lies. Itachi had never been defeated, nor had he been taken hostage. Madara had known exactly where he was – _where he had chosen to be_ : On the side of the traitors.

"The time has come to make a decision."

Steeling himself, Sasuke met his brother's gaze, parting his lips to give his reply.

* * *

It surprised the young raven how the traitors who had been extremely dubious of his existence among them because of the inconsistent colours of his eyes quickly had adapted to and accepted his presence among them once the older Uchiha had announced him as their companion.

Some people in the group regarded him with humble kindness. Most regarded him with an aloof indifference, treating him like they would any other among their own, and only a small few openly displayed misdirected dislike for him because of his inheritance, but they never bothered the Uchiha much.

The raven had never seen so many faces before in his entire life, and so he struggled to learn which name belonged to which face, until he gave up entirely on trying to remember them all.

He struggled for many days to wrap his mind around the things he'd learnt about the dark past of the Uchiha from his brother. Whenever he considered the information for too long periods of time, he'd receive a great headache from which he'd suffer for endless minutes before it'd ease.

 _Uchiha Itachi_ , the traitor.

 _Uchiha Sasuke_ , the traitor.

Between his pondering and his pounding head, he wondered with disinterest if that was what Madara called the two brothers' nowadays.

* * *

"You sent for me?"

The entire company was at break, unsaddling the horses and unhooking the carriages to let the cattle rest in the protection of the forest they were gradually making their way through on their way to another town where they were supposed to randevouz with another rebel group.

The older Uchiha's eyes shifted to the blonde man standing beside his younger brother before he turned to and addressed the raven.

"Yes." He said, an almost non-existent smile ghosting over his lips. "I'd like to speak with you. Alone." Obsidian found sapphire, a challenge, not gone unnoticed by the younger Uchiha, dancing in the air between the two males.

"Of course." He dismissed the blonde verbally, holding his brother's gaze as they waited until they were left in complete private.

* * *

Sasuke knew that he watched the blonde a lot. He had yet to tire of the sight of his golden hair and his shining eyes as vast and bright as a cloud-free summer sky, still studying the man with the same excessive attentiveness he had had since the first day they were introduced.

In the same manner, the blonde tended to keep close to the raven, the two rarely spotted apart from each other. It had been so since they fled had the mansion all those months ago, and they'd grown accustomed to the casual intimacy that had formed between them on their long journey. No one knew the Uchiha like Naruto did.

And yet Sasuke found his own knowledge of the blonde lacking, the feeling familiar to the raven from all the years of trying to figure the other man's ability out. He now knew what unique feats the blonde was capable of, but except for his familiarity with the blonde's appearance, he found he knew little to nothing about the man behind the sunny smile.

The following days when the raven observed the blonde, it wasn't as usual. His trained eyes followed the line of the man's clothed back as he aided a woman onto a horse, studying every movement with more care, the question Itachi had asked him repeating inside his head, having planted a seed of doubt within the young raven.

" _Do you trust him?"_

In honesty, Sasuke didn't even know him.

* * *

One day, Naruto had worn a dark expression from the moment he'd woken up, and as they packed up, mounted their horses, and set off towards their destination, the young Uchiha noted it visibly growing darker.

Riding beside the blonde, the raven ignored his brother's mindless chatting in front of them and observed the steely blue eyes as they stared ahead with set determination, looking at something only they could see.

Gripping his reins tighter, the young Uchiha's gut twisted, a feeling of foreboding creeping up his spine and causing his mouth to become dry. The blonde looked as if someone was going to die.

As they advanced, Naruto's scowl grew more prominent, and Sasuke's sense of dread intensified. The company reached a field, and began to cross it.

That's when the first arrow struck.

The horse let out a shrill neigh, which got strangled in it's throat as it came down with a weighty thud, dragging it's startled rider with it to the ground – dead. The rider screamed when one of his legs was crushed beneath the body of the horse, the sudden event drawing the attention of the people behind them, panic spreading like electricity through the company as they started to realise what had just transpired.

The raven stared in shock, his heart hammering in his chest as his own steed jerked nervously beneath him when its comrade to it's left fell. Sheer panic took hold of the young Uchiha as the sudden death struck him, his eyes flying to the back of his brother, widening when they spotted the pair of crimson eyes and the fierce determination already on his brother's face.

Without missing a beat, his brother flew into action, orders flying off his lip, carried by the wind to every ear and every mind in the lines behind him. There wasn't time to question or even consider the instructions as the sky above them darkened with arrows. The rebels instinctively fell into action, some turning their horses to round up the carriages, women, elderly, and children to protect them in a retreat to a safe ground, other's severing the loads on their horses with their swords to enable themselves more agility on the field, ready to follow Itachi and fight, the commanders underneath his brother taking charge of their groups and readying to follow the battle plan provided by the older Uchiha.

In just the lapse of a few seconds everyone around the raven was on the move, trained to face situations such as the one they'd suddenly found themselves in.

Sasuke, on the other hand, found himself frozen to the spot, indecisive in the midst of the organized chaos that surrounded him as he stared in terror at the arrows that were starting to descend towards them.

He snapped out of his stupor when his brother swiftly turned his horse in front of him and and charged straight ahead, the blonde to his right shocking the raven when he reared his horse and without a single doubt set off after the older Uchiha, neither of the two's determined expressions wavering for a second as they charged towards battle.

A lump formed in the raven's throat as he tried to will himself into action, and failing miserably. His horse shifted uneasily beneath him as dozens of other's thundered past them.

It wasn't until when the grey horse came to halt just in front of them, thus causing his own horse to jerk forcefully, that the young Uchiha snapped out of his daze.

"With me. Now!"

He forcefully dug his heels into his steed and set off in a gallop, just barely dodging the many arrows that dug into the ground behind him where he'd previously been, following the white haired man whose name he could actually recollect, without a single trace of the fear that had held his heart only second ago present within his gaze.

Side by side, Sasuke and Hatake Kakashi broke through the edge of the woods on the opposite side of the field, charging straight into the midst of the Uchihas that'd been lying in wait.

* * *

 _'Thump-thump-thump-thump-'_

For the second time in his life, Sasuke felt as if he was awake within a nightmare.

Screams of pain, grunts of exertion, roars of fury, and shouts of command bounced between the trees surrounding him, the sound of blades striking joining the many noises.

It had quickly become difficult riding one's horse in the midst of the woods as bodies of humans and steed alike soon adored the ground, their crimson blood mixing with the brown, slippery mud, making it even more so.

' _Thump-thump-thump-'_

The young raven found himself unable to keep track of time, as everything around him seemed to move in slow-motion. Kakashi was long gone, as was his steed, and he had no idea for how long he'd been holding his own.

Stumbling over the corpses and feeling his feet slip in the bloody mud had the Uchiha feeling sick. He couldn't tell comrade from foe as his wide eyes darted between the bodies, his hand shaking and his breathing irregular as he could feel his sanity slipping.

' _Thump-'_

Death.

' _Thump-'_

Everywhere his red eyes fell, death ruthlessly glared back at him.

' _Thump-'_

 _Why?_

Why was this happening?

' _Thump-'_

Why did all these men have to die?

Why-?

Sasuke's eyes fell upon the Uchiha crest neatly adorning the blood soaked back of a man lying a few feet to his right, face down in the dirt. His crest stared back at him, the crimson colour of the fan melting into that of the stained blood, almost consciously perfectly portraying the dark history of the cursed clan.

' _Thu-thump-'_

When his body retched violently, the young raven could do little to nothing but try to blink back the tears the action brought to his eyes.

The young Uchiha had yet to strike anyone. No matter, he could not bring himself to end another's life, be it an Uchiha or a traitor; he still found his blade too heavy in his hands.

After having collected himself, he got to his feet, determined to keep going. Where, he had no idea. He'd always been stubborn, and even though he questioned the whole existence of the reality he found himself in, his stubborn nature drove him to continue through the trees until he either met a foe and had to strangle his morals and murder someone for the first time, or fail and die at another's hand.

He knew that his fate held in store one of the two scenarios. He couldn't fathom even imagining either.

 _'Thump-thump-thump-thump-'_

His ears picked up the screams, alerting him of the men he'd find ahead of him before he could mentally prepare himself of what he'd do when he'd finally come face to face with someone.

His eyes spun red, his thoughts racing in sync with his heart.

 _'Thump-thump-thump-thump-'_

Were they Uchiha? Or rebels?

With a sinking heart he realised it would not matter. On the battlefield, he was the enemy of both, as the rebels would not be able to tell his blood-coloured eyes apart from the other Uchihas'.

' _Thump-thump-thump-'_

Up ahead, just past those trees.

He swallowed around the lump within his throat, feeling his mouth going dry.

Adrenaline coursed through his body, his hand tightening around his katana as he willed his legs to keep going, forcing his trembling body to move quicker than his frightened state allowed.

' _Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-'_

' **Thump-!** '

The sight that met him once he reached the parting almost stopped his heart.

* * *

 **Tbc...**

 **A/N:** A _cliffhanger?_ I know! But to make the two last parts of the story equally long, I had to cut it off there. Sorry :) Thanks to all of you who've favoured and followed this story, it is highly appriciated! Don't be afraid to leave a review as well ;)

 **Question:** _What do you think Sasuke saw that almost made his heart stop?_

Until next time!


	3. The birth of a new Era

**Here it is!** The last chapter guys! Are you ready? The story will come to an end here, and I thank all of you who've read and followed it so far. Everything will be cleared up in this chapter, so if you've found anything mysterious previously, you'll find the answers soon :) Once you're done reading the chapter, check out the questions at the end and post a review with your answers!

Now, without further ado, **enjoy!**

* * *

" _Uchiha-sama. This boy is Uzumaki Naruto."_

 _This name… I've heard it before_.

 _Blonde hair… Blue eyes…_

… _Blue?_

* * *

The person in the midst of the clearing was barely distinguishable in the light of the dusk, but the raven immidiately recognized the blonde surrounded by the Uchiha. But something about his appearance was off.

For seven years Sasuke had looked upon the many faces of Naruto, but never had he looked like this.

His face was twisted into a menacing snarl that made every hair on the young Uchiha's body stand on edge. His lips were drawn back, showing terrifyingly sharpened fangs that no human could posses, the usually almost non-apparent whisker-like scars adorning the blonde's tan cheeks suddenly profound and marked glaringly.

* * *

" _This is Uzumaki Naruto."_

 _Blonde hair… Blue eyes…_

… _Blue?_

* * *

Sasuke's crimson eyes clung to the vision in front of him as the foreign blonde silenced the screams of the nine men with a single swift outlash of his clawed hands. The blood spraying from the Uchihas' severed necks danced around the blonde, painting a terrifyingly beautiful picture of nine, bloody tails.

* * *

 _Blonde hair… Blue eyes…_

… _Blue?_

 _No…_

 _Shouldn't they be…?_

* * *

The blonde's red eyes shone unnaturaly in the dusk as he stood with his head tilted back, an almost serene look resting on his distorted face as the lifeless bodies of the men fell to the ground around him, the red liquid quickly painting the muddy grass in a hideous nyance.

The scene was terrifying.

And yet, Sasuke couldn't tear his eyes away from the massacre he'd witnessed as cold realisation dawned on him.

He'd known Naruto long before the blonde had appeared before him almost seven and a half years ago. The tales of the boy were known far and wide across the country, whispered in hushed voices behind closed door after darkness had fallen, telling of the many frightening and inhuman things he was capable of while covering the ears of young children.

But the name for which the blonde was known differed from the one the raven knew him as.

In front of him stood a monster, but it wasn't Uzumaki Naruto.

No, it was a demon. The _Kyuubi_.

* * *

" _This boy is Uzumaki Naruto."_

 _Blonde hair… Blue eyes…_

… _Blue?_

 _No…_

 _They were_ _ **Red.**_

* * *

 _'Thump-'_

He shuddered as his body snapped out of it's trance, a tremor wrecking through his frame as he released the breath he'd been holding in a small gasp.

The demon's head snapped in his direction, their red eyes clashing.

Sasuke's knuckles were white from clutching the handle of his blade, his body screaming at him to run, but his mind oddly silent as he met the unfamiliar fiery gaze. It seemed like minutes passed while they stared at each other.

 _'Thump-thump-thump-thump-'_

Sasuke wondered if Naruto recognized him. The monstrous appearance the blonde had taken made him look so very unlike the Naruto the young Uchiha knew, and so the raven found himself at loss for how to act. Did he attack? Did he run? Would the demon slaughter him like it had the other men, or would it leave him be?

His thoughts were interrupted by a battle roar erupting behind him. His heart stuck in his throat as he too late realised he'd left his back unguarded.

 _'Thump-'_

The crushing sound of the man's skull as the blonde slammed his head against the tree trunk behind the raven was sickening. He didn't dare turn to look at the remains of what he knew was supposed to be a human face as his heart thundered in his ears.

 _'Thump-thump-thump-thump-'_

Beside him, the demon straightened out, flicking his wrist, meaty chunks of remains flying off his hand and onto the ground where the body had collapsed, lying in an awkward angle, everything above the neck mangled into a gruesome, unrecognisable mush.

 _'Thump-!'_

Sasuke ran.

* * *

 _'Thump-thump-thump-thump-'_

He didn't know for how long he ran, passing person after person, dodging the blade's of Uchiha as well as traitors as he dashed through the trees, searching madly with his blood-red eyes.

 _'Thump-thump-thump-thump-'_

He couldn't find him.

His heart raced and his lungs ached, his feet tripping, threatening to drag him into the mud, as he forced his way through the wide area of the battlefield.

 _'Thump-thump-thump-thump-'_

He thought he spotted a silver of white hair, but didn't stop even as he imagined hearing his name being called.

He had to find him.

Itachi – he had to –

"Brother!"

His eyes fell upon the familiar figure, but the scream building in his throat escaped through his lips too late.

' _Thump-'_

His red eyes spun his reality into slow-motion as he watched the arrow pierce his brother's chest, nailing the source of his brother's life with its sharp tip before protruding on the opposite side.

' _Thump-'_

His brother's eyes fell upon him in his last moments, his mouth parted in absurd mild surprise, before he fell dead to the ground.

' _Thump…'_

The roar ripped from Sasuke's throat was unlike any possible human sound.

* * *

The young Uchiha had lost count of how many bodies he'd cut down after being robbed of his brother. Fuelled and blinded by his rage he'd sliced the arms of the archer held responsible for his agony, his unbroken scream hurting his throat and his eyes stinging from unshed tears as he'd driven his blade between the man's eyes. He'd then set about disposing the rest of the men present in the clearing, unable to find any solace for his restless heart in their deaths.

He ached. His entire being ached as he lived while his brother had died. The only thought that drove him onwards was one of pure vengeance as his heart was slowly corrupted by darkness.

Suffer.

He'd make them all suffer.

It never struck him odd how he was able to decapitate man after man, sever limb from limb on his enemies while he remained completely unscathed, untouched by their attacks.

In the midst of his rage he caught a quick glimpse of his reflection in the sword of one of his victims before he heartlessly tore him in half

His eyes had changed.

Instead of a consistent red, they appeared to have taken his original obsidian colour with a single crimson lotus unfolding within the dark iris, the colour of blood more prominent as it contrasted the darkness around it.

With the eyes Itachi's death had given him, Sasuke swore to see the end of the war.

* * *

The air of the early dawn was cold and unforgiving. The sun had yet to rise, but its beams still peeked shyly above the horizon and cast the fields in bleak sheen, offering a dim light across the gloomy battlefield.

Despite being ambushed, the traitors had managed to hold their own against the prepared Uchiha soldiers considerably well over the night. Many had fallen behind Sasuke's protective wing after the death of Itachi, regrouping behind the only one on their side with the same ocular prowess as their enemies and striking from there.

The casualties were huge on both sides, and still growing as the battle continued into dawn.

Sasuke's rage had yet to abandon him, boiling within as he distracted himself from the grief lying ready to strike him and render him immobilized through concentrating on protecting his fellow rebels as well as finding the one man he'd been searching for all night.

The battlefield had shifted from between the trees to the open plain of the huge field just beside the small forest.

The raven stumbled over another corpse as his new eyes searched after _him_. His sight blurred slightly, strained from the overuse of their powers, his headache becoming worse. Just as he felt how tired he was, his legs and arms aching, his head throbbing, Sasuke's eyes fell upon the ancient Uchiha in the middle of the field.

Uchiha Madara drove his spear through a poor man's gut, a devilish grin adorning his face as he pulled the spear out of the kneeling, lifeless body, wiping the blood of the man on his corpse.

Upon spotting the young raven, Madara's grin split his face further as he leisurely raised his hand and slowly motioned for Sasuke to approach him. At the sight of the self-assured action, anger flared up within the young raven. Gripping his dirtied blade tighter he steeled himself as he walked towards the older Uchiha.

As he closed in, his pace slowed until he came to a complete stop a few metres outside Madara's reach.

The sight of the ancient Uchiha that had been present throughout the many years of his life up close tugged at the young raven's heart.

Madara looked nothing short of majestic in his blood-coloured armour, towering proudly over the fallen bodies at his feet. He regarded Sasuke with his red eyes, an eerie silence resting between them in the middle of the battlefield.

"It's been a while, Sasuke."

The young Uchiha felt himself falter as the familiar, deep voice addressed him. Madara took note of his hesitation, a nasty smirk creeping across his features.

"How are things on your side?" He asked, feigning interest as he tilted his head back, a small smile playing on his lips as he held the young raven's gaze, an air of assurance radiating off of him. "It seems you're holding up rather well for a group of _worthless traitors_."

The words stung more than the raven had anticipated, and he flinched visibly at them, shutting his lips tightly and refusing to give the other an answer.

"It seems your brother fed you some nasty lies about the Uchiha while you were away."

The casual mention of Itachi rolling of the ancient Uchiha's tongue had Sasuke tense.

"I say. You've clearly been deluded from the truth by his twisted words,"

Madara continued amusedly, enjoying the changes of negative emotions his words brought forth within Sasuke's eyes.

"But then again, Itachi was always the rebellious one out of the two of you. And you always wanted to be just like your brother."

Madara's eyes narrowed, twinkling venomously at the young raven.

"Maybe I should have a word with Itachi, discipline him a little."

"Tell me, Sasuke." He said lowly, dragging out his words, a nasty smirk twisting his features. "Where is your brother?"

Sasuke saw red, but just as he was about to screaming lunge himself at the ancient Uchiha, his eyes caught sight of a third party, halting his outrageous attack,

Blue eyes met his livid gaze.

A wave of relief rolled through Sasuke as he took in the sight of the blonde man that had come to his aid. Quickly scanning Naruto, his eyes found no visible trace of the demon he now knew nestled within the man.

"Ah, Naruto. How nice of you to join us." Madara drawled, looking suspiciously pleased by the blonde's sudden appearance.

The blue eyes held Sasuke's gaze for several heartbeats before drifting to Madara, blinking once on the way. When they re-opened, a fiery red had replaced the radiant blue within them.

The young Uchiha's gaze shifted between Naruto and Madara as they stared at each other, his heartbeat increasing along with the tension in the air. When the blonde took his first step towards the ancient Uchiha, Sasuke's hands instinctively tightened around his katana. With his body on alert, the raven watched intensely as the blonde slowly walked towards the older Uchiha, ready to strike as soon as either made a move to attack.

His heart nervously pounded as the blonde crept closer and closer until he came to a stop right in front of the man, Sasuke holding his breath in anticipation as he awaited the first strike.

Then Naruto turned to face him, joining Madara at his side. The raven's crimson eyes widened in bewilderment before a feeling of absolute dread took hold of him, his heart sinking in his chest.

"Do it." Madara said, eyes glistening wickedly in the dim morning sun.

Looking between the two, realisation settled within the raven.

His determination to fight was replaced by a paralysing feeling of dismay. He felt how his hands lost the iron grip he'd had around the base of his blade since his brother's fall, but did nothing as it fell to the ground beside his feet.

The raw feelings of betrayal tore at his heart as he stared at the blonde, only a single broken thought managing to escape his lips, his voice sounding raspy and weak, even to his own ears.

"Your mission was never to protect me."

Across from him, the blonde at Madara's side regarded him impassively.

"No."

He agreed, confirming the fears gripping the raven's heart.

* * *

Seven and a half years ago, Madara had assigned an assassin in the disguise of a bodyguard to make rid of the heir of one of the most prosperous families within the Uchiha. Even back then, he'd been able to anticipate that mentioned boy would be sceptical to a change of heart, putting him, as the head of the Uchiha clan, at a great risk if the boy were to be swayed to join the opposite side of the war in the future.

Madara despised the boy, Uchiha Sasuke; how he grew weak in mind and spirit as soon as he faced a conflict. He cursed that their blood-limit ran strong in such a weak person, and feared that some day, the boy would change the Uchiha and turn them against him.

But he would not let it happen.

Uchiha Madara refused a future where Uchiha Sasuke would be the cause for his downfall.

* * *

Madara watched in twisted pleasure as the young Uchiha crumbled before him.

The battle had gone beyond his expectations with Itachi's death, and now he got to watch as the reality of the last Uchiha opposing him shattered before his eyes. He savoured the moment; basking in the feeling of superiority it brought him.

Meanwhile, Sasuke could feel nothing, as he stood frozen in the middle of the huge field. Around him, traitors were still fighting the troops of the Uchiha, unknowing that they'd already lost to the cursed red eyes of their opponents.

As if the past seven years of his life had meant nothing, they were overwritten by the harsh reality that had been looming in the shadows all along. He'd been so naïve, taking the loyalty of the blonde for granted without even once questioning his presence by the raven's side.

How easily fooled he'd been. And now he'd have to pay the price.

"Kill him."

Madara's cold command snapped the young Uchiha's attention back to the familiar blonde across from him, their red eyes meeting, gazes lingering on each other one last time.

This was it – The end of the line.

The only comfort Sasuke found was within the thought that crossed his mind, that Itachi wouldn't have to be alone on the other side for much longer.

He readied himself and drew a final breath, meeting the blonde's gaze head on.

Then Naruto acted abruptly, his hand shooting out, penetrating the chest and ending the life of Uchiha Madara.

* * *

The battle was over.

The men of both sides had long since dropped their swords and bows, supporting each other and picking up their fallen comrades, almost shyly cooperating for the first time since the era of reign by the Uchiha had begun. Some old as well as newborn grudges still hung in the crisp morning air around them, but that was unavoidable, as both sides had spent all time prior to the aftermath of the battle considering each other enemies.

What had them forsaken their arms was the young man – _an Uchiha, yet, at the same time, a rebel_ – stepping over the body of the Uchiha clans previous leader, possessing a new set of almighty eyes, commanding them all to stop with a mighty roar, and so bringing their unnecessary fighting to an end.

With his new set of eyes, the Uchiha clan found no other leader fit to rule them as they were a proud clan, cherishing the strength of their bloodline above all, thus willingly heeding the young man's wish and releasing their swords.

The rebels recognized the younger of the two brothers from the Uchiha which had willingly supported them and joined their side, levelling their chances in the war, and decided to respect his will in remembrance of his brother who had fell while fighting for their liberty.

The survivors of that battle had been the first, but not the last, to hear of the changes that the young raven promised the country that early morning as he stood, towering over Uchiha Madara's corpse, his voice carrying loudly and clearly over the field of suffering men around him.

No longer would the Uchiha be superior to anyone. From then on out, everyone was to consider everyone a brother, no matter the colour of their eyes, and they would share everything they owned with each other, like one would with family, no matter the blood that coursed through their veins.

And near to no one would have even dared defy the man whose eyes burned with a new-found, crimson light, as he gazed upon them, challenging their objection to his decision.

* * *

Over the years to come, the new leader of the Uchiha pulled his troops back and opened up all lands to the deprived people of the country.

Side by side the Uchiha and the regular men rebuilt village after village, restoring towns and bridges to their former glory prior to the war, burying their hatred deep beneath dirt and rocks and disposing of the shovel. Food and wealth was distributed fairly, the huge mansions of the Uchiha opening their gates to share the comfort of their luxurious homes with those in need. No longer did the Uchiha rob the farmers of their crop; Instead they distributed to nourishing the lands and learnt new skills from the farmers themselves, labouring day and night, side by side with their new companions.

It was a slow, difficult process, and every once and again a temporary obstacle got in the way of the countries rebirth, but under the rule of the young, determined Uchiha, the land advanced steadily towards a flourishing future.

As the months grew into years, tales grew forth of the battle that had changed it all. Often they told of heroic people who'd assisted the miraculous change that had blessed their land, the stories often differing slightly in detail of whom had fought whom and how everything had transpired.

Often the tales told of a noble raven haired man who'd bravely faced and defeated many foes single handedly without as much as a rip on his clothes, as well as an incredibly durable blonde, whose radiant looks and mysterious strength were unmatched by anyone that had ever lived.

The tales always ended the same; with the raven standing victorious on the battlefield with the blonde by his side, looking out over the men that were to be recreated under his rule, free from hatred and the darkness of war.

The tales of Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto lived long after the memory of the _Era of the Uchiha_ had disappeared in history.

* * *

Sasuke never asked the blonde why he'd had a change of heart in the middle of the battle all those years ago.

Sometimes, the thought surfaced in his mind, but he never voiced his question. For some reason, the raven didn't think he needed to hear the answer, because somewhere within his heart he knew what had brought the blonde that early morning, when they had faced off on the field, to drive his hand through Madara's chest. He understood, and thus felt no need for the blonde to voice what he already knew.

Throughout the many years that had followed, the blonde had never left his side, loyally standing behind him as he pointed the direction of which he wanted their country to head.

In a way, he owed his life to the blonde. The man had had plenty of chances to make rid of the raven as Madara had wished of him, but hadn't taken them. Sasuke admitted that it was still something that puzzled him about the blonde, but he had long ago given up trying to understand him. The blonde had been mysterious from the very start, and unlike any other the raven had come across, the mystified air around the blonde never cleared, even as they aged.

"Thank you."

He realised he'd never thanked the blonde for everything he'd done, and found the phrase rolling off his tongue before he'd even made a conscious decision to speak.

The blonde looked at him over his shoulder form where he was crouching in front of Itachi's grave. His blue eyes were still as enchanting as they'd been the first time they met.

Sasuke meant it. He was truthfully, completely, and utterly thankful to the blonde for everything.

The blue eyes twinkled at him.

"You're welcome, Sasuke."

And his brilliant smile told of the many years to come of which the blonde intended to spend at the raven's side.

* * *

 **The end.**

 **A/N:** Thanks to all of you (once again) who've read and followed this story!

 _This idea came to me a long time ago, and was actually completely inspired by the phrases "I know what your power is." & "You can be in more than one place at the same time." Those two lines came to me, and I wanted to make a story with them sooo bad. Then, one day, I wrote the first little part in chapter one (the one where they meet) and then I just kind of went from there. _

_I've never done a story quite like this before - the style is completely different from what I usually do, and the way the story is told through all these small paragraphs set in different points in time is a very unique and unusual way of storytelling. I would lie if I said I didn't enjoy it, it's a very selective way of writing as I don't have to linger on every detail but get to jump between the important parts, only writing the absolutely necessary._

Either way, I enjoyed this story very much! I thank you for sticking with me even though I chose to split it into three parts ( _as it originally could've been posted as one, really, really, really long chapter lol!_ ).

I'd love to hear what you thought of the story in whole!

 **Questions for this chapter:** Do you like this sort of writing? Would you like to read another story like this? What did you think of Itachi's death? Was Naruto's betrayal expected? All sort of thoughts/reviews are welcome!

Thank you for everything! ( _Tips: go back and re-read the whole story in one seating, from chapter one to three without pause - you'll enjoy it!_ )

 **Take care!**


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